The gas/electric plug-in hybrid, or PHEV, was always going to be transitional, a stop-gap until battery-powered cars measured up. We remain in that period now because Americans still face some range anxiety. The PHEV eliminates it by offering 300 or so miles from the gas engine when the battery runs out. The trip to grandma’s house will not end with the car stranded by the side of the road. The endgame is still battery cars, but it’s not quite here yet.
PHEVs are still selling well, but their share as part of total EV sales has shrunk, from 43% in 2011 (when battery EV range was particularly low) to about 20% now. The Bentley Bentayga, the Audi Q5, the BMW X5, the Ferrari Stradale, the Lincoln Navigator, the Porsche Cayenne, and many more are available as PHEVs, a total of 31 models on the market.
Penta recently took two such PHEVs and found both go the distance.
Volvo XC60 Recharge
First up was a trip, from New England to Virginia, for a music festival in a 2023 Volvo XC60 Recharge AWD Ultimate Dark Theme (US$74,690 as tested). The dark theme means a lot of blacked-out chrome, including the front grille and window trim, but if the intent was to make the vehicle look menacing, it didn’t succeed. Volvos almost always seem Scandinavian friendly.
Volvos are good, safe long-distance cars—even the 122S models from the 1960s had both three-point seatbelts and adjustable lumbar support. In the new model, passengers sit on ventilated Nappa leather, breathing purified air, and counting on such safety features as blind-spot detection, collision avoidance, lane departure alert, and pedestrian intervention. Weight suffers from all that stuff: The XC60 Recharge is 4,677 pounds. The test car was an Ultimate edition, which carries a US$9,750 premium.
Volvo was an early champion of PHEVs—the XC60 Recharge concept car was first shown at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show, but took until 2012 to be unveiled in Detroit. Europe got a diesel version, but that first version shown in the U.S. had a 270-horsepower turbo four coupled to a 70-horsepower electric motor—with 35 miles of all-electric range.
Today’s car is that one on steroids—it has a total of 455 horsepower and 523 pound-feet of torque from a 312-horsepower two-liter turbo four and a 143-horsepower electric motor with an 18.8-kilowatt-hour battery. That adds up to a 63 miles per gallon equivalent (MPGe). On just gas power, it offers 28 mpg combined. Getting to 60 mph takes just 4.5 seconds.
Range is one of the best attributes of the PHEV, and this Volvo can travel 560 miles via its combined powertrain. Also for trippers, there is 29.7 cubic feet of luggage space, and plenty of bins and cubbies. This is a five-seat, two-row SUV. Want three rows? Consider the pricier XC90 (starting at US$71,900).
The Volvo XC60 was just a mile-eater on the highway, very comfortable, even after hours of cruising. Travel was enhanced by the optional Bowers and Wilkins stereo, a stiff US$3,200 upgrade from the standard Harman Kardon unit, which is probably perfectly good. The power tailgate proved very useful when loading and unloading gear, and it definitely is worth the mere US$200 it costs. Air suspension on all four corners (US$1,800) increased ride comfort but could be a long-term maintenance issue.
Of course, this Volvo is an SUV, and Americans favor them heavily. The company that once featured station wagons now counts the XC60 as its best-selling model in the U.S., with 3,925 sold in June. The other two top models, the XC90 (3,645) and XC40 (2,193), are also SUVs. In June, sales of full electric and PHEV Volvos amounted to 29.3%of the U.S. total, up 79% from June 2022.
2024 Mazda CX-90
As it happens, the Volvo was driven back-to-back with the top PHEV from Mazda, a 2024 CX-90. It can’t touch the Volvo in opulence, but it’s also a fair amount cheaper, at US$58,920 as tested. The biggest difference from the Volvo is that the CX-90 is a three-row design, with seating for seven. The third row is slightly cramped, but passengers will fit in it. If seven seats are more than you need, Mazda is working on a two-row CX-70.
The Mazda won’t win the styling wars; the design is a fairly generic large SUV. If you buy one, choose a color that will stand out in a parking lot (orange is good). It’s not as powerful as the Volvo, but it’s in the ballpark, with 323 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque via its turbo 2.5-liter inline six. Electric range from the 17.8-kilowatt-hour battery pack is 26 miles—not great by the standard of the day. A benefit of PHEVs is that their batteries are relatively small and thus fast-charging—90 minutes will get your CX-90 from 20% to 80% full. The CX-90 is another heavyweight at 4,899 pounds.
The MPGe rating is 56, not far from the Volvo, and 25 mpg on gas. The figures are good for a full-scale three-row SUV. The all-wheel drive 2023 Chevrolet Suburban offers just 16 mpg combined. Cargo capacity is 14.9 cubic feet with all the seats in place, but it maxes out at 74.2. The Mazda isn’t as fast as the Volvo, taking 6.3 seconds to 60.
The interior represents a realization that Mazda is trying to service the luxury sector. Once again, Nappa leather, with heaters, and leather on the steering wheel as well. There are paddle shifters, though few owners will use them. The second row on the tester had captain’s chairs, but opting out of them increases seating to eight. The included premium-plus package on the test car added a 12-speaker Bose stereo, 21-inch wheels, a panoramic sunroof, and the useful power liftgate.
These two luxury PHEVs are strikingly competent, and there’s no reason in the world not to buy one. Both can tow 3,500 pounds. Don’t worry that they’ll quickly become outdated. The all-battery transition is moving, but fairly slowly.
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